Denmark's road network is small, flat and well-signed, but the consequences of misjudging it are not. The base speed limits are 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on rural roads, 80 km/h on a motortrafikvej (expressway), and 130 km/h on the motorvej (motorway) — but long stretches of the motorway network, particularly the ring of motorways around Copenhagen, the southern half of the E20 and parts of the E45, are signed down to 110 km/h.
The default highway across Sealand and Funen, the E20, crosses Storebæltsbroen (the Great Belt Bridge) — and that crossing, from 1 January 2026, costs a passenger car DKK 235 by card or cash, or DKK 205 with a BroBizz tag or recognised licence-plate payment (toll charged eastbound only, Funen to Zealand). The Øresundsbron over to Sweden is more expensive: DKK 520 at the toll station for a car single trip from 18 May 2026, or DKK 182 if you have signed up for ØresundGO at an annual fee of DKK 370.
Both bridges' tariffs are indexed to Danish CPI and increased on 1 January 2026.
The detail visitors most often miss is vanvidskørsel — the "reckless driving" law that took effect on 31 March 2021. The thresholds are objective: more than 100% over the limit when the limit itself is over 100 km/h, any speed of 200 km/h or more regardless of limit, BAC above 2.0 promille, or causing serious injury or death by negligence.
Hit any of them and police can seize the vehicle on the spot — including a rental car you do not own. The seizure stands even when the driver is not the owner; rental and lease vehicles have been auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the Danish treasury.
Through 2024, Danish police laid 3,965 vanvidskørsel charges in total, 1,115 of them against foreign nationals; rental-company contracts now routinely make the renter liable for the full vehicle value if the car is confiscated. The most-cited case remains a Lamborghini Huracán Spyder confiscated near Hjørring in 2021 and auctioned in March 2024.
Two more recent changes worth knowing: since 1 July 2025 Denmark legally requires winter-capable tyres (M+S or 3PMSF marked) when conditions are wintry — there is no calendar date, the police decide on the day, and the fine is DKK 1,000 per tyre. And in central Copenhagen, cyclists in the lane on your right have priority when you turn right: yield, do not "Copenhagen left" them.
The Femern Belt fixed link to Germany is still under construction and is not yet open.
Reviewed by Pawan Priyadarshi
Founder of AutoviaTest · About the editor
Every figure on this page is cross-checked against the primary regulator listed in the Sources section below. We re-verify the page on the date shown above whenever a relevant law, fine, or toll changes.
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